The Zero Blindness that Burns
by mjp03
Summary: Because blind girls tend to kick your butt at tennis. And capture your heart while at that. (YukimuraxOC)
1. The New Blind Girl

The first time Seiichi had ever seen her was in a hospital where Seiichi had went there once for a body check-up. The meeting was abrupt and short.

Seiichi peered down the white hall of the hospital, and wondered which one was Doctor Oshitari's. Just then, he felt something hit his foot. Looking down, he found a black and white cane with a red tip shuffling around his shoe.

It was a girl who hit him. A girl with silver hair braided up in thin strands, wearing a white one-piece summer dress and dark, dark shades.

It wasn't sunny.

The girl appeared to be blind. She mumbled a 'sorry', and kept walking, her cane whacking left and right down the hall.

That was the simple meeting that they shared, a meeting both soon forgot afterwards.

The second meeting was a bit longer.

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><p>It was a very beautiful day at Rikkaidai. The cherry blossoms fell like snow, and the pale pink petals decorated the ground. They were easily the most beautiful cherry blossoms in the whole of Kanagawa, with the help of the old gardener, Kashigawa-san, who often shared a few chats with Seiichi.<p>

It was quite early in the morning -just six o'clock, in fact- that there was almost no one in the school. Seiichi stood beside his classroom window for a while to take in the pretty flowers. He had always had a soft spot for gardening, and beautiful flowers tended to hold his interest.

There was a dog barking behind him. Surprised, Seiichi turned his head to the noise. He saw a really tall boy, wearing some sort of white jersey, with black skin and white scruffy hair. But it was the girl who held his interest. The girl had silver hair slightly longer than shoulder length, thin strands of her hair braided up. Despite that it was a bit cloudy that day, she still wore dark shades. She was stroking a golden retriever, and laughed when it licked her face.

After a while, she kissed the golden retriever and stood up. The boy standing beside her automatically handed her a black and white striped cane with a red tip. A blind man's cane.

"Good boy, Google. Stay." The silver-haired girl commanded Google, the golden retriever. Then, gripping the white-haired boy's arm, the boy carefully guided her into the school, not without the cane's tip clacking against the floor.

Seiichi felt a strong sense of familiarity towards the mysterious, blind, silver-haired girl, but he couldn't make heads nor tails of those feelings. He turned away from the window to find his childhood friend standing at the doorway, waiting expectantly.

Seiichi smiled at Sanada, took up his tennis bag and walked out the door for morning practice.

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><p>Kirihara was in big trouble. He'd fallen asleep on the bus -yet, again- and found himself in the middle of nowhere. He somehow managed to follow the bus stop signs and made his way back into the city, and was taking a taxi to fly back to school. He'd left house this morning extra early, just to be sure not to get on Sanada-fukubuchou's bad side on the very first day of school. The universe just loves making fun of him. And Sanada-fukubuchou was going to murder him.<p>

When the taxi pulled up at Rikkai Dai Fuzoku, Kirihara thrust the taxi driver the money, and without waiting for the change, he dashed for the gate, only to find the disciplinary teacher, Kanda-sensei standing there, looking none too pleased.

"Well, Kirihara-kun. It's you again. I hope you're not using the same feeble excuse that you fell asleep on the bus. Anyone with brains won't believe you." Kanda-sensei pushed up his glasses. "Come with me to the principal room. The principal should very much like to see the first latecomer of the year. I swear you must have broken our school's record of coming to school late so many times."

Principal Yoshizawa was not very nice, but he was tolerant. He tolerated Niou-senpai the time he spread a false alarm of fire and the whole school missed half a day, waiting for the firemen to arrive and check the whole school thoroughly. He tolerated Marui-senpai when he was found trafficking sweets into school and making money off them. He tolerated the time Sanada-fukubuchou accidentally slapped the principal when he meant to hit Kirihara, but Kirihara dodged and the slap landed on poor Principal Yoshizawa who had come down to observe the tennis training.

Principal Yoshizawa was an old man who loved tennis, which was why he often tolerated the tennis team which caused more trouble than any other sports team in the school. Or perhaps it was because the tennis team was the only team that managed to secure two consecutive champions in the Nationals. Other sports team claimed awards, but none able to achieve two golds in a row.

But if there was one thing the tolerant, tennis lover principal could never tolerate, it was latecomers. And when people say 'not very nice', they mean the ninth circle of hell. And Kirihara tried not to gulp.

When they entered the principal's office, there was already a girl sitting there, with silver hair braided into thin strands. "Oh, Kanda. What has Kirihara-kun done again?" The principal chuckled. It appeared that he was in a peculiar good mood.

Kanda-sensei was not very enthusiastic to report. "Kirihara-kun here was late today. Again. On the first day of school. This is his eighty-third time."

"You can leave now, Kanda." The principal waved a hand, and Kanda-sensei left.

"Kirihara-kun. Punctuality is one of the virtues we honor most here at Rikkai. I wish you will learn to respect that in the future days. Now, if you will, please sit down right beside here." Principal Yoshizawa gestured to the seat beside the silver-haired girl who has made movement up until now. "Well, since you're both here, and you're from the same class, I might as well introduce you two. Kirihara-kun, this is Mifune Yukiko-san. Mifune-san, this is Kirihara Akaya-kun. As you can see, Mifune-san suffers from blindness, and requires someone to show her around before she knows the way. Kirihara-kun, can I trust you to be her chaperone? Show her around, and take care of her. Today's a big day for new students, aye? Now, hop along, you two youngsters. And don't wander off somewhere else. Your classroom is 2-D, don't forget!"

Much to Kirihara's surprise, Mifune did not appear to require an accompaniment. In fact, she seemed to fend for herself pretty well. Kirihara just had to tell her to go left or right and she would turn accurately.

"So, Mifune-san, have you decided which club you're going to join yet?" Kirihara fired an attempt at conversation with the girl. He was a bit afraid to touch a sensitive nerve and piss the blind girl off. He decided clubs were a neutral topic.

"I don't see how that is any of your business." Mifune replied coolly. "And no, I haven't given it much thought."

Kirihara decided that he officially sucked at making communication with blind girls. "What about hobbies? What do you like to do?" Hobbies were another neutral topic, Kirihara decided.

"Tennis." Mifune said simply. Kirihara was dumbstruck. Then he burst out laughing.

"Tennis? Mifune-san, how do you play tennis when you can't see? Don't kid with me. I'm one of the best tennis players in Japan, you know." Kirihara said smugly. Suddenly, Mifune stopped in her tracks, and ripped off her dark shades. Her cloudy, white eyes seemed to bore into Kirihara's. "Do you know who you're talking to?" She said dangerously, intimidating Kirihara. At the moment, class 2-D's door slid open, revealing a not amused Kobayashi-sensei standing there. In a quick flash, Mifune's shades were back on, once again hiding her blind eyes.

Kobayashi-sensei crossed his arms. "Ah, there you are. I've been waiting for ages. Now, class, we have a new student…"

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Okay, that was a really bad ending. But I really hope you're enjoy this. The second chapter's coming out really soon, so please stick with me.<strong>

**Oh, and if you hadn't already known, I have another story, Broken Genius. If you want to, you can go and take a look.**


	2. Rikkai's Tennis Team

**Author's Note: Okay, this chapter is like a bridge to the next chapter, so don't expect it to be really exciting. I'm just using this chapter to make the next one smooth, and don't worry, I'm gonna update soon! :)**

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><p>Since it was the first day, school ended pretty early. The club selection session starts after school this year, and Kirihara was still trying to make something out of the sentence she said that morning.<p>

_ "Do you know who you're talking to?" _Kirihara had not forgotten the ferociousness of her voice then.

Mifune frowned at him as she noticed that the boy had drifted off to la-la-land. "Kirihara-kun, school's over, or did you not notice? Did you hear what I was saying?"

Kirihara snapped out of his thoughts, and said cheerfully. "Sorry, guess I blinked out for a minute there. What'd you say?"

"I asked you which club you're in. Or are you just one of those freelancing dudes who don't join any clubs?" Mifune started to get up from her seat, reaching blindly for her bag. Kirihara handed it to her and smirked.

"I might not seem it, but I'm a regular on the tennis team. The second-year ace of Rikkai's unbeatable tennis team." He boasted as the two of hem proceeded slowly down the stairs, one step at a time.

Mifune wrinkled her nose. "Really? Are you any good?"

"I just told you I'm the ace of the team, or are you deaf as well?"

"Well, if the level of your team isn't all that high, then being the ace doesn't really mean anything, does it?" Mifune smirked teasingly.

Kirihara nodded absently, then remembering she couldn't see, he hastily said, "You play tennis, right, Mifune-san? Why don't you play against me to see how good I am? Or the team is?"

"Not if you want to keep you butts on." Mifune licked her dry lips. They have just reached the bottom of the staircases. There were a crowd of people lining up for signups. "You can call me Yukiko, you know. We're gonna be sticking together for a period of time." Then her face scrunched up. "Is there a large crowd in front of us? I hear a lot of noises...and I can smell sweat. Ugh." She pinched her nose. "C'mon. Gimme your arm. My stupid cane will kill everyone if I use it here. So be a good chaperone and guide me through this mess." She sniffed, retracted her cane and extended an arm reluctantly. "oh, and it's bloody hot. Fetch me an umbrella."

Kirihara's eyebrow twitched, but complied on the account that she was a poor blind girl who desperately needed his help. Pushing past a sea of people, they finally managed to reach the tennis club's signup area. Kirihara started to guide Yukiko towards the girl's section, but Yukiko tugged on his blazer.

"In case you didn't know, I'm going to the men's tennis club." Her dark shades reflected the sunlight that stung Kirihara's eyes.

"The men's?" Kirihara asked incredulously. "You are aware that you are a woman, right? A blind one, at that."

"Just shut up and bring me to the stall. Or I'll yell out loud that you just taped me. And you'll be considered a rapist with two black marks on your first day of school." Rendered without any choice, Kirihara brought Yukiko to Rikkai's strongest team through the backside into the officials' area.

"Oi, Bakaya, where'd you go?" Marui nearly pounced on the seaweed-haired boy when he saw him. "Your shift started fifteen minutes ago! Sanada-fukubuchou is going to kill you! We're working like mad dogs here, and you've gone flirting with a girl?"

"Ah, Marui-senpai! I'm supposed to take care of her! She's blind!" Kirihara protested as the redhead tried to drag him to his station.

"Who's blind?" A cool and smooth voice rang out. Rikkai's number one player, Yukimura, was looking at the girl with peculiar eyes, as if she were something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Mura-buchou! I just caught Seaweed Hair trying to skip shift!" Marui immediately reported.

"Buchou, it isn't like that! This girl is blind, and I'm supposed to look after her!" Kirihara tried to explain.

Yukiko spoke up, "If you're going to find an excuse, don't use me. I can take perfect care of myself, thank you very much."

Yukimura smiled at the girl, who took no notice. "I'm Yukimura Seiichi. And you are?"

The blind girl found the direction of the voice and smirked confidently. "So you're the legendary Child of God I've heard so much about. I'm Mifune Yukiko, but just Yukiko, please."

"Mifune Yukiko...?" Yanagi Renji had appeared out of nowhere, standing next to Yukimura, his fingers tapping his chin. "I swear..." But he didn't get a chance to finish before Yukiko interrupted.

"Wait a second," The girl seemed a bit incredulous and was leaning her ear heavily towards Yanagi, "is that...a _robot_? The voice totally sounds like one. I swear it must be a robot, right, Kirihara?"

Kirihara tried hard not to laugh. Yanagi seemed a little offended. "Yukiko-chan, that's not a robot. That's the Data Master of our team, Yanagi Renji-senpai."

Yukiko seemed even more confused now. "A man? That's a...man?!"

"Yukiko-san, we're all men here." Yukimura tried to soothe the girl.

"Wait a minute, even you?!" Yukiko jabbed a finger at Yukimura. "You're a GUY? Oh my God!"

"Well, our team does have a surprisingly feminine captain." Kirihara shrugged, forgetting the girl couldn't see.

"Jesus." Yukiko made a face. "Your team has a really large range of voices."

"You're all going soft in the knees! What happened to work?" Sanada roared, his thunderous voice temporarily deafened poor Kirihara. "Kirihara! Get over here or I'll skin you alive!" Kirihara gulped.

"Y-Y-Yukimura-buchou, I'm counting on you to take care of Yukiko-chan! Coming, fukubuchou!"

The rest of the tennis team regulars turned onto Yukiko.

"Heh, you're Yukiko-chan? You're blind? I'm Marui Bunta. I'm a third-year here at Rikkai."

"Yukiko-san, do you need to sit down? We have a chair over here, in case you're tired." The Gentleman offered a yellow plastic chair.

Just as Jackal was trying to serve the girl a drink, Yukiko finally burst out irritatedly, "OK, guys! I'm blind, but I'm not a doll! And I can do that myself, too." She added, trying to grasp for the yellow chair, but only grabbing thin air. Yukimura sighed.

"I'll look after her. You all can help Sanada out." Yukimura smiled as he took hold of the girl gently, and led her away from the commotion.

They sat down on a bench under tree shade, when Yukiko spoke up. "Sorry for mistaking you for a girl. I mean, you sounded like one, and I couldn't tell, because, well, you know."

Yukimura nodded, then caught himself. He'd already forgotten she was blind. "It's alright. People do that all the time. Even people who can see." Yukimura smiled, despite that Yukiko could not see the smile.

"Really?" She sounded a bit hopeful. "So it's no biggie, right?"

"Yep. No big deal." Yukimura reassured her. The girl broke out a smile. She seemed a little more lively.

"So you play tennis? Mr. Child of God? You know, I totally thought Child of God was a girl before." Yukiko grinned. Yukimura noticed that when she talked, she always faced him, like she knew exactly where his face was. It was probably that which led to people constantly forgetting that she was blind. Her dark shades flashed under the sunlight.

"Yeah, I play tennis. You wanna play? Can you?"

Yukiko tilted her head. "Many people think blind people aren't capable of doing any type of sport. Blind guys aren't weak. They just had their eyesight taken away. Tennis is just about chasing a ball around the courts, and with suitable sound training, even blind people can play tennis, Child of God."

"You can play tennis?" Yukimura smiled. "Care for a short match? I'll go easy."

Yukiko waved his offer away. "Nah. You wouldn't want to lose to a blind girl."

Yukimura seemed even more interested. "Such confidence."

Yukiko grinned. "Who do you think I am?"


	3. Blind Tennis

**Author's Note: Okay, this was really bad. Please don't kill me for this. I thought I'd show off Yukiko's tennis skills... Anyway, enjoy! (Seriously, you have been warned. This is by far the worst piece of THING I have ever written)**

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><p>"Game and match, Mifune, 6-0!" Yukimura, as the referee, called out. But his voice barely escaped trembling in shock. On the courts, Yukiko stood on one side, unbeaten and confident, expression triumphant. On the other side, Sanada kneeled on the ground, legs weak and arms numb. Sanada?<p>

** Okay, okay, guys. Pause. Let's rewind back to where we stopped last time.**

"You can play tennis?" Yukimura smiled. "Care for a short match? I'll go easy."

Yukiko waved his offer away. "Nah. You wouldn't want to lose to a blind girl."

Yukimura seemed even more interested. "Such confidence."

Yukiko grinned. "Who do you think I am?"

Just then, a low deep voice from behind boomed out. "I know who you are. You are a distraction to our teammates, that's who you are."

Yukimura turned in surprise. "Sanada-"

Yukiko made a face. "I don't know who you are with the super bass voice, but I'm not gonna stand people who make fun of me and try to squash me flat, dude."

"You have caused Kirihara to become late and the other teammates to become distracted. I shall not tolerate anyone who behaves so recklessly." Sanada narrowed his eyes.

"Well, aren't you confident." Yukiko smirked. "Why don't we do a small match now, just to settle things? I'm sure you are not as cowardly as to run from a girl's challenge."

Sanada nodded. "Sounds good to me. But, if I win, you will promise not to cause anymore disturbance to the team, and stay away from us."

"And if I win, you will have to let me..." There was an evil glint in Yukiko's blind eyes as she paused, "tease you for the rest of your life and never talk back to me. You will be my slave. Deal?"

Sanada blinked, then stuck out his hand, but Yukiko did not notice nor take it. "Deal."

"Sanada, I don't think-" Yukimura started, but Sanada held up a hand.

"Yukimura. This is a battle for pride. Please let us do this." Yukimura looked at Sanada for a while, then sighed.

"You're going to do this whether I give permission or not, yes, Genichirou?" Yukimura spoke softly.

"Worry not. I shall not permit any nuisance to exist among the team. We will claim our third consecutive win at the Nationals and there must be no distraction that will break our focus!" Sanada roared a war cry and walked towards the courts, leaving Yukimura and Yukiko behind. Yukimura sighed and started to walk as well, but there was a small tug at his jersey that held him back.

"You forgot again?" Yukiko smirked. "I'm a poor blind girl who can't see, remember? Moreover, I have never been to this place before, and it is only suitable for a Child of God to escort me gentlemanly to where the match will take place, aye?"

Yukimura laughed at this and took her arm. "Very well, my blind princess."

"You are going to wear that?" Sanada stared at the white one-piece light dress that was a bit loose around Yukiko's body. Yukiko was wearing a

"Got a problem with that, ThunderHorse?" Yukiko raised an eyebrow, as if challenging him to rebuke her.

"No." Sanada shook out the incredulous feeling. "Which?"

"Smooth, please!" The racket fell to the ground. Sanada took one look and frowned.

"Your serve."

"Looks like you are destined to be my slave, Mr. ThunderHorse. I don't lose when I serve first." Yukiko smirked. Sanada gave a stoic glare, which Yukiko did not catch.

"We'll see." He narrowed his eyes and went into place. Yukimura placed a hand on his chin, smiling at the two. _This will be quite interesting._

YUKIKO PoV

People think blind people are weak and can't do anything. They are wrong.

I may not be able to do everything perfectly like a whole person can, but then, I'm a far cry from normal. But tennis is something I can do better than anyone. It is something I can do better than myself.

I kicked off my shoes, and shimmied off my socks. My bare toes scratched the ground hungrily, yearning for action. It recognized the scent of the tennis court.

The moment I started to walk, my grandfather thrusted a tennis ball and a racket into my hand and made me play. It took a very long time, but eventually, I began to 'see' the tennis ball with my ears. All movement produces sound. The trick is to capture that sound and calculate where it will go. This isn't easy for most blind people, but I've been trained for almost a decade for this. And I wasn't about to lose to a sexist punk.

Ah, serving. Serving a ball was one of the hardest things I had to learn. It was extremely difficult to toss a ball straight up and manage to hit it without my sight. I did that just now.

"15-0!" I smirked. I can almost see ThunderHorse's astonished face. Take that, you sexist pig! I served again. Serving was second nature. The flow of movements was as natural as breathing. The posture of it was hammered into my brain by my dear grandfather, who's about as sweet a chili and as soft as a rock.

"Game, 1-0! Mifune leads."

I readied my racket and tried to tune out other noises. It was like trying to find a pin in a haystack, but eventually I found it. The familiar whiz and swishing of the tennis ball. My legs carried me to the left, and my arm drew back.

"15-0!" Yup, another point for Yukiko. I rock!

"Swift like the wind!" A voice boomed and I winced. The speed of it was quite astonishing when I caught the trajectory of the ball. I heard a few 'hms' and gasps as I caught up with the ball and hit it back. I heard two consecutive bounces of the ball and no swing of racket, and smiled at my temporary victory. My speed is faster, it seems, ThunderHorse-kun.

"30-0!"

"Oi, oi, she returned Sanada's Wind!" Someone whispered. Probably that boy Kirihara. I'd recognize his childlike voice anywhere. "It was so fast I couldn't even see it! How the bloody hell...?"

"Hmm," Ah, Robot-kun has the answer. I smiled as I positioned myself for another fiery assault from ThunderHorse. "Perhaps she was able to return it _because_ she cannot see. The trickery in it Wind is unraveled by that. With other factors included, it is possible that she uses her other senses to 'see' the ball. To what extent, I cannot tell. But with this taken into account, it is safe to assume Sanada's other moves which involves tricking the eyes cannot deceive her, for example, the Invisible Swing."

Ah, that seems like an appropriate explanation... I thought absently as I hit another point.

"5-0! Mifune to serve!"

From the other side, I could hear a low growl. Apparently, ThunderHorse is pretty pissed that none of special moves were working.

"Strike, like lightening!" Sanada roared. I frowned as my feet nearly flew off the ground as I swung my racket hard against the ball, and I could feel the strings on the racket threatening to break. Clenching my teeth, I slid the ball with great balance to the metal frame of the racket and managed to get the ball over the net.

I grinned. Exhilarating, it was, to stun the audience. I called out, "You call that a lightening, ThunderHorse? Try again, sucker!"

"I can't believe this... Not even Lightening worked!"

"Even the Emperor can't beat her... Who the hell is this girl?"

"She's _blind_, how the hell did she do that?"

I smirked. I liked it, when people grew shocked at my tennis. I liked the rush of smugness, the punch of excitement, and the desire to shock them even further. You call it vainness, I call it euphoria.

"30-0! Mifune leads!" Gosh, I can even hear ThunderHorse's ragged breathing all the way from over here, I'm not even sweating here. How pathetic.

In the sting of adrenaline, I yelled out to ThunderHorse, "Mr. ThunderHorse? Would you like a leash when you become my slave? I'll get a pink one with dozens of rhinestones on it for you, _just _perfect for you." Simply the imagination of the owner of the grumbly husky voice wearing a pink rhinestone leash was enough to send the spectators into firs of laughter. My euphoria grew.

"Game and match, Mifune, 6-0!" Yukimura, as the referee, called out. But his voice barely escaped trembling in shock. On the courts, Yukiko stood on one side, unbeaten and confident, expression triumphant. On the other side, Sanada kneeled on the ground, legs weak and arms numb. Sanada, the Emperor, lost _this _bad to a _blind_ girl?

My smugness reached its peak. "My dear ThunderHorse-san, your slavery and loyalty towards me starts now. Please wear a tutu to your next tennis practice."

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Well...? How was it? I suppose it was terrible, wasn't it? I suck horribly at writing tennis matches, so please don't expect to do any more of this. This took me a week to write, and look at how that turned out. Please do review and tell me how I've done... I promise, the next chapter will be much much much better (partly coz it won't contain much tennis action). Please stick with me! (begs)<strong>


	4. The Blind Coach?

**Author's note: This is short, but I am fairly confident in my work this time. This may be quite boring, but plays quite an essential part in the plot, so please read this through! Read, enjoy, and do review!**

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><p>"I told you, I don't need anyone to send me home!" Yukiko and the Rikkai tennis regulars were sharing a heated debate of whether blind, poor Mifune Yukiko should be accompanied home. "I have a chaperone! Which isn't you, Bakaya!"<p>

"My dear Yukiko-san," Yagyuu began, "you are a delicate-" that word earned a kick in shin from Yukiko, which Yagyuu tried to ignore, "-lady, and it a gentleman's job to see a lady safely back home. Not to mention that you do not have your eyesight. The streets of Kanagawa are not always safe at this time of the day." Then he proceeded to rub the red spot where Yukiko had just kicked.

"Have you all become deaf? I have a chaperone!" Yukiko looked close to pulling her hair out.

"I think we should be the judges of whether your chaperone is safe enough." Yukimura tapped a finger against his chin, and winced when Yukiko stomped her heel on his foot accurately, squashing his toes.

She tossed a few strands of her silver hair over her shoulder, and scowled. "Fine. Will you leave me alone after that? I am very capable of walking myself home."

"After we take a look at your chaperone, piyo," Niou smirked.

Glaring at thin air, Yukiko drew out a silver whistle and blew. It made a loud screeching noise. People walking by winced and stared at her. A minute passed.

"Yukiko-chan, are you sure-" Marui began, but just then a golden retriever appeared from the corner and bounded towards the girl and pounced on her licking her face.

"Down, Google! Down!" She giggled as she tried to escape from the saliva attack. The dog only complied after staining her uniform, which she did not mind at all. "Hey guys, meet my chaperone. This is Google, my dog. And Google, these are the bad guys who you never should get close to." Yukiko grinned.

It was exactly ten seconds before any of the regulars moved. Jackal was the first to move. "Your chaperone, you meant your...dog?" The dog, who was currently chewing on the bark of a random tree thoughtfully before swallowing it in one gulp. And burped satisfyingly.

"Not just any dog," Yukiko protested, "he's a _seeing eye dog_, probably more capable than any of you." She jabbed a finger at a random direction, threatening anyone to contradict her.

"Right. More capable." Sanada stared at the dog incredulously. Google was chasing his own tail around and around, his furry tail whacking Marui and Kirihara straight in face, who had crouched down to get a good look at the dog.

Yukiko put a hand over her heart, the other hand resting against her forehead dramatically. "Never judge a dog by its look." She preached. "Google has memorized a lot of routes for me, you dummies. He knows the way home, to school, the park etcetera etcetera. He buys my stuff for me, idiots." She pulled out something out of her bulky bag and started to attach it onto the dog. It resembled something like a handle. Yanagi bent down to help her with it.

"I still think one of us should follow you home, just in case." Yukimura looked dubiously at Google, the golden retriever.

Yukiko groaned. "_Fine_. But don't let me know you're there. Or I might not be able to resist the urge to kill you."

Surprisingly, the cheerful dog seemed pretty capable, as it led its owner around obstacles and barked at anyone who looked suspicious. They arrived at a skyscraper, where a man in a suit promptly refused the tennis regulars entry. Yukimura looked helplessly through the glass at the blind girl who wore a small smirk on her face as she entered the elevator.

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><p>It was lunch break, and Yukiko was spending her lunch with Sanada Genichirou under the cherry blossoms, per her direct orders.<p>

The speaker cackled. _"Ah, will Mifune Yukiko-san of class 2-D and Yukimura Seiichi-kun of class 3-C please proceed to the principal's office? Principal Yoshizawa would like to see the two of you. Thank you." _Yukiko frowned at the notice.

"ThunderHorse-kun, help me." The command was short but powerful. Sanada stiffened, then shuddered in defeat. He was a man of his word after all. He handed the girl her walking cane, took hold of her arm gently and the two of them walked slowly back into the school.

"Thank you, Sanada-kun." Principal Yoshizawa gave a small smile. "You may leave now." Yukiko raised a eyebrow and Sanada complied.

"Principal, what did you call us here for?" Yukimura asked.

"That is a very good question." The principal nodded. "Rikkai's tennis team is the only team in the school lacking a coach, yes?" Before Yukimura could utter a protest, Principal Yoshizawa raised a hand, silencing the boy. "Please do let me continue. I am not doubting your abilities to lead the tennis team, Yukimura-kun, for you have already claimed the championships twice already. Yukimura-kun, this is your last year of middle school for you, and the last year for you to participate in the middle school Nationals with your fellow teammates. I know that you have taken the responsibility upon yourself to coach the team, and that you have not been able take time to train yourself properly."

Yukimura grew quiet. It was true, very true indeed. So true that he could not believe that the principal had been able to notice it. He enjoyed tennis very much, but as the captain, he had no choice but to step back and lead his team. He had to make his choices as a captain, in order for Rikkai to win.

The principal did not stop there, "which is why, I have arranged for a coach to assist you. I have done a little investigation, and with a few connections and phone calls," he chuckled, "I managed to obtain your best candidate for Rikkai's tennis coach. It is Mifune-san." Yukiko gaped, apparently new at this information as well.

"My apologies, Principal, but I believe the team is very capable-" Yukimura began, but did not manage to finish before the old man shut him up again.  
>"My dear Yukimura-kun, it is not the matter of your capability, I repeat." He said firmly. "I wish for you to enjoy your last year at Rikkai Dai Fuzoku. You have brought honor to our school for two years now, and I would like to repay in my own way. Please acknowledge that. This is my gift to you, Sanada-kun and Yanagi-kun who have served the team so passionately and selflessly for the previous two years. I <em>insist<em>." And that left no space for argument.

For Yukimura, anyway.

"Excuse me? Principal, why was I not informed of this beforehand?" Yukiko demanded, her fist slamming onto the desk, her dark shades glaring threateningly at the old principal.

Poor Principal Yoshizawa tried to appease the girl on fire. "You see, Mifune-san..." his voice grew into a hushed whisper, "...your other mission...can only let you do that if...remember the deal...a favor...enter Rikkai...investigation..." Yukiko's face grew from agitated to frustrated. After a few minutes of struggling and silent arguing, she finally agreed reluctantly to the proposal as the principal clasped his hands together in delight.

"Thank you, Mifune-san!" He beamed. "I am sure you will get along well with the tennis team!"

Yukiko muttered something unintelligible that sounded like 'crafty old bastard'.

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><p><strong>Author's note: Okay, so to clear some stuff up: I am making Yukiko particularly strong for a particular reason, and a very reasonable reason at that. This story will continue into the newest Prince of Tennis manga, the New Prince of Tennis. So read the manga or watch the anime, because part of this will be connected to that. Cheers! Review!<strong>


	5. Resolution

**Author's note: Howdy, people! It's been, what, a month since I last updated? Well, I'm pleased to tell you that I am alive and well (and most definitely alive), and back in business. I'm totally totally sorry for the super long update, but I have a really reasonable reason for this. I've been on vacation for a week, and had literally no Internet access. Plus, I've been bedridden with a stupid virus, puking everything from food to guts out. It really doesn't improve one's inspiration, to tell the truth.**

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><p>"Inoue-senpai?" Shiba asked as Inoue drove down the road, "Where are we going?"<p>

Inoue smiled. "Kanagawa."

"Kanagawa where?"

"They say a school there got a new coach. We're going there to cover it."

Shiba blinked. "Which school?"

"Rikkaidai."

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><p>When the two reached the courts, each holding a camera and a notebook, they found a boy with messy black hair, panting heavily as he jogged towards them.<p>

"Who are you, mister?" The boy blinked. "Outsiders can't come here, you know."

"Oh, we're reporters from Monthly Pro Tennis," Inoue introduced themselves as he showed the boy his card. "We're here to cover the new coach." The boy nodded, as if this made sense to him at all.

"Our coach is playing a match with one of the senpais now. You'll have to wait until she's done before you can do your interview." The boy said as he led them to the courts. He yelled, "Sanada-fukubuchou! There's someone here!" The stoic vice-captain tore his eyes from the coach's match with the Master and walked up to the three.

"Kirihara, finished you laps already? Go watch the coach's match." He commanded. Then he turned to Shiba and Inoue. "I am Sanada Genichirou, vice-captain of the tennis team. I see you are reporters? Here to cover our new coach?" He nodded at their equipment. "The principal told me. Come. You can watch the match before interviewing. This is her second match at Rikkaidai. She's going against Niou." Somehow, Sanada shrugged uncomfortably, as if the mention of the girl's matches scared him. Shiba cocked her head confusedly.

* * *

><p>Niou was panting desperately for air. The girl on the other side wasn't even so much as letting out a heavy breath, dammit. All of his illusions were unbelievably ineffective against the girl. Damn blindness. He'd tried everything, really. Every single tennis regular, he had impersonated, but it was useless against the blind girl, because, for obvious reasons, she couldn't even <em>see<em> his illusion work, for god's sake. It was as if he was the only one running around the courts in ragged breathing.

Jesus_ Christ_, that girl can _run._ By listening to the sound of the tennis ball, Niou assumed, she distinguishes and defines the ball, the spin and the speed and catches up with it. She didn't have a lot of strength, to be honest, but her technique and skill was polished like glass. Using her racket and different angles, she alleviates the power of the ball and returns them with ease. Her speed and stamina was excellent as well, not even panting heavily after thirty minutes of running all around the court.

Talking about running, if that damn girl could see, she'd probably be scouted for the track team. Those legs propelled themselves like a machine, good Lord. She could _run_. Niou had never known a person with such disabilities less discouraged and weakened by their own disabilities. Blind Mifune Yukiko was running, and she made other normal people feel like they were crawling.

He gave up chasing the ball and dropped to his knees, giving in to utter exhaustion. The shot flew past him, acing the winning point. Thirty minutes worth of scrambling over the court, chasing a ball he couldn't get past the opposite court, and not even earning a single point. This is pathetic. He'd never lost so badly, not even against Yukimura.

"Game and match, Mifune, 6-0!" The referee, a non-regular whose name was not important enough for Niou to remember, called out the score. The hard realization that he had lost hit Niou like a pill, made him feel bitter and a bit high. Bitter, he'd lost so pathetically and he must have looked so lame, chasing a small neon green ball that only led to his own destruction. High, because there was finally an opponent out there that was really worth his time. Niou had never given thought to winning; he wasn't afraid of the vice-captain's harsh ferociousness that drove all the other members to victory. Against the Three Monster, he fended well, and that alone gave him mild satisfaction and no motivation.

Never in his life had he lost so badly, so horribly in anything. Not in tennis, not in academics, not in trickery, not in gaming. And he could not stand to be humiliated like that. He would avenge his loss. He would defeat that girl, standing over him like a smug, triumphant empress who had just condemned her arch enemy to execution.

Niou stood up, ignoring the creak and tremble in his knees, and smirked. That smirk took every single drop of energy in him to swallow down his pride. "The name's Niou Masaharu. Remember it. It's the name of the person who's gonna beat you so bad you'll go crying back to your mama."

Yukiko flashed her dimpled smile, confidence completely unwavering by the bold declaration of challenge. "Masaharu is too long for me to remember, I'm afraid. I think I'll call you...Haruharu. Cute, eh?" Niou barely managed to force down his embarrassment at the new nickname.

Kirihara, on the bleachers, clenched his fists hard. Niou-senpai, the senpai even the Three Monsters dealt with troublesomely, the senpai who constantly annoyed him but couldn't help but awe him, was defeated. By 6-0. Not even winning a single point.

Yukimura, recognizing the glint in the sophomore's eyes, smiled. It was nostalgic, seeing that glint appear again. _Akaya, opened your eyes to a new boulder in your path?_ He remembered seeing that glint in his eyes a year ago, the glint that made his decision to nurture the boy, the glint that relieved him to know that the future captain would always be aiming higher. And he was aiming higher right now.

"My slave, my servant!" Yukiko yelled from the courts. "Where are you, you disloyal bastard?" Sanada, standing beside the two reporters, stiffened. Inoue and Shiba stared in wonder as the boy underwent significant changes.

His face turned red, then to a nasty shade of purple. He gritted his teeth, and his hand gripped the metal railing tightly. His hair stood up at their ends, and he gave an involuntary shudder. Finally, when every feature of his body has relaxed as much as it ever could, Sanada took the steps down the the courts, escorted the girl to the bench and helped her with her shoes. Shiba could faintly see the hard grimace set to Sanada's jaw as he helped the girl.

When Yukiko was done, Sanada muttered a few words into her ear as the two walked up the steps one at a time. "They'll have to wait. We're training right now, or are they blind as well? Tell them to wait until I'm done here, or they can find themselves another person to interview." Yukiko looked a bit annoyed as she sat down on the bleachers.

"Alright, people! Are there any more warmup matches still not finished? We're going to do something new today. We're going to play a game." There was a smirk threatening to quirk up at the corner of her mouth. "Today, we'll play a game called Being Blind."

* * *

><p>When Inoue had taken up the offer to cover Rikkai's new tennis coach, he'd expected someone old, mature and with much, much, much tennis experience. He'd expected someone like Sanada-kun or Tezuka-kun, someone who fitted the cold image of Rikkai.<p>

What he had not expected was a sophomore girl, who did not look the least serious, all smiles and joking, and on top of that, _blind_.

It wasn't that he had something against blind people, but aren't blind people supposed to be, well, blind? Yet this girl did not seem blind.

He'd watched her match with Niou-kun. Niou-kun, probably one of the strongest players in the team's lineup, was someone Inoue respected greatly. When the blind girl played, it was as if she gained her own set of eyes on the court. Eyes that see through every ball, every movement, every technique. Inoue faintly remembered reading about a blind tennis player somewhere, but the memory was so vague that he could not recall when and where. She was probably one of those super players who didn't participate in many tournaments, yet managing to make a big name for herself through rumors. Mifune Yukiko, Inoue swore he had heard the name 'Mifune' before. But when? Where?

* * *

><p>The game was very unnerving. Yanagi decided as he watched different blindfolded matches.<p>

Akaya, the normally ferocious and hot-headed player, seemed to be deflated in the face of blindness.

Jackal, the Iron Lung with unlimited stamina, was panting deeply from running all around the courts ineffectively.

Marui... well, let's just say he could use some more sugar in his system.

Niou had given up halfway through the match, only returning the most easiest balls randomly.

Yagyuu had resorted to swinging his racket like maniac, hoping fervently to hit some lucky balls.

Yukimura and Sanada faired better than the others, but the gap between them and the blind girl was significant. The two had only managed to score a few points before the matched had ended 6-0.

For himself, he could use a hell lot more data and practice.

Despite the pathetic losing streak, it was clear that the game had a significant effect on all regulars. If anything, the game had fired up the players more than ever. The improvement in technique and skill could also be observed through normal matches afterwards. Yukiko had nodded in approval several times as she played against different players normally.

At the end of practice, the girl announced, "From now on, we'll do this game every week, to evaluate your improvement." This earned quite a lot of groans from the regulars, which was ignored. "You've obviously all got potential in tennis, despite the fact that you were beaten by me. What you need isn't a little push. You need an earthquake. And I happen to be miracle-prone." Yukiko grinned.

"You want the Nationals? I'll give you the Nationals. I'll take you there."

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><p><strong>Author's note: So, I've decided to make this somewhat of a debut for Yukiko, the maniac coach. And make her promise to lead the team to the Nationals and win it, so the whole team will be totally fired up. And if you have any questions (and I'm betting you have loads, seeing as this chapter is shit) feel free to PM me or review or whatever. And review. Please, please review. Cheers, man.<strong>


	6. And It Spread Like Fire

**Author's note: Hey people! Long time no see! I made an extra long chapter for you folks to make up for my lateness! But, boy, this chapter was tough. Nonetheless, I somehow managed to finish it, and here you go! Chapter 6! A few more matches and games!**

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><p>Word spread like wildfire. Scouts spread like wildfire.<p>

In less than a week, the name Mifune Yukiko as Rikkaidai's tennis coach had gotten out. Being Rikkaidai's coach wasn't something to be ignored. The coach had to be experienced, and won at least something big, to qualify as a top-notch coach for the emperor.

So when rumors had it that the new coach was a _girl_, and on top of that, was _blind, _scouts and spies from different schools flocked the school gates of Rikkai. And it wasn't like they didn't have enough paparazzi on any normal day. It was only thanks to Sanada that the crazy scouts didn't try to climb over fence and attack the regulars. The fierce vice-captain fired death glares at anyone who dared make a sound and yelled "TARUNDORU!" at any member getting distracted by the commotion.

The dear, dear, sadistic captain of the time just smiled at the scene, for some unintelligible reason scaring spies to no end.

And of course, the main character of all the gossip, taking no notice of big scene, merely commented that the spectators were being too loud again.

And just then, her head snapped up. "I may be blind, but I am not deaf. Niou, I don't know what you're up to, but I seriously don't want to know if you have to climb up a tree to do that." There was a grunt and a rustle of leaves, and the sound of wind swishing down.

"Che. What gave me away?" Niou asked as he slid down the trunk, landing beside Yukiko.

She looked amused. "You climb too loudly. I could hear the snap of branches from way down here. That's how loud you are." Then she grew serious. "It's the same with your tennis. Your style is too...obvious. You need to be subtler when you play. Normally you distract people with your illusions, but when they don't work, what do you do? You're a trickster. Trick people. Be subtle. A trick becomes nothing the moment you leave a hint."

Niou snickered. "You genius. Not everything has to do with tennis, you know."

Yukiko shrugged nonchalantly. "Whatever you say, Haruharu. Your loss, not mine."

Yukimura, who was the one charged with Yukiko Duty when Sanada played, looked sternly at Niou. "Niou, that wasn't very polite. Yukiko-san was giving you advice."

She waved a hand, swatting away an invisible fly. "Nah, I'm used to vices. Especially from dear, dear Haruharu. By the way, the cheerleaders are awfully loud today, aren't they?" Then she proceeded to whistle off-tune, enjoying the autumn breeze.

"Mizuki-san?" Fuji Yuuta tried not to sound like grumbling. "There are some _bright purple_ bugs over here." He stared pointedly at a particular bug crawling up Mizuki's bag. "Are you completely sure that they are harmless enough to ignore?" He, unlike his genius brother, did not have an extensive knowledge on bugs and plants. He could identify some bugs, yes, but when it came to the special and _poisonous_ ones, well...

"Be quiet, Yuuta. I'm trying to film this match, and it would do well without your obnoxious voice sticking in every five seconds!" He hissed, turning away from the camera.

The two were currently camped out in a particularly thick bush which contained a wide variety of bugs and leaves, not far from the tennis courts. Yuuta counted with his fingers. In the past two hours, he had found:

Light green bugs x 37

Brown bugs x 59

Deep blue bugs x 13

Hot red bugs x 22

Pale pink bugs x 14

Bright purple bugs x 3

Super Ultra Rare Golden bug x 2

That's was quite a find in a single bush. Yuuta made a mental note to do his research and preparations before coming to Rikkaidai next time. This time, he'll just have to make do with a mosquito repellant. He sighed to himself as he drenched himself with the stinky liquid.

"Yuuta, Yuuta!" Mizuki yelped suddenly, tugging at the boy's shirt excitedly. "She's finally coming down the courts! This is what we've been waiting for! Give me the walkie talkie!" Yuuta rolled his eyes as he slipped his hand into the bag, dug around, fished out the black walkie talkie coated with a few bugs, and handed it to Mizuki.

"Yanigasawa! Kisarazu!" Mizuki roared into the small black device. "You see that girl entering the courts with Sanada? That's our target. Make sure to film her from every single side. Do not let her out of your focus, am I clear or not?" There were groans and complaints heard from the device.

Yuuta peeked out from the bush. The girl did not seem to be prepared to play a match. She said something to Sanada and the other boy retreated back to the team that had lined up in front of them.

"You want the Nationals. First, you have to understand a few things. Tennis is an all-out battle. But sometimes, not only the strong get to win. Good strategy can reduce stronger opponents to loss. Play with your strengths. Know your ability. Not only see the strengths but also the flaws. To train this, we can play another game today. This game is called 'Playing Against Yourself'. Niou will play a one-point match with every one of you. He will impersonate you, and in other words, your opponent will be you. You will not only see where your strengths lie, but also your weaknesses. Yanagi, take notes. You will play last. Niou, you will be exempted from this practice as you have to play against all the regulars."

In the bush, Mizuki giggled hysterically and started spouting gibberish about winning the Nationals. Yuuta rolled his eyes again. Sometimes, he had to pinch his upperclassman to make sure he was still in reality. And he did that just now.

Mizuki let out an 'OW!', then returned to his Crazyville. There was just no help for mentally damaged people when they're in this state.

But, at that precise moment, a very displeased security guard heard the deranged giggles and discovered them in the bush. Without an entry permit. And the two took off running.

* * *

><p>Jackal was the first to play against 'himself'. He had to admit, this was extremely difficult. The one-point match had dragged on for forty minutes, with both himself and his doppelganger running on the courts, both having limitless stamina and polished defense skills. The two Jackals refused to give in, not letting the ball pass either sides. It wasn't until Yukiko cried 'Stop!' until the two ended the rally in a tie.<p>

"Jackie-kun, you have super stamina and super defense, but you've got to take the initiative!" Yukiko said exasperatedly after the match. "If I hadn't told you to stop, the point rally would never end, and slowly, your stamina will be used up. Alright?"

Marui's match had turned into a volley showdown. It was very vexing, really. The ball not touching the ground at all, both players at the net, fighting neck to neck, but not gaining the point. Niou had eventually won the point after a long struggle, firing a particular strong shot. Marui, being weakened to the point his wrists couldn't take it anymore, had his racket blown away.

"Mint-chan," Yukiko had taken to make up a nickname for everyone, and she settled on Mint for Marui, claiming he always smelt like mint every time he spoke. "Your technique is great, but you can train up on your stamina and power. Robot-kun, add fifty more push-ups to his regime."

Yagyuu's match was the shortest by far, the two engaging into a heated battle from the start. But when Niou fired a Laser Beam, he was rendered mobile and couldn't react.

"Yagyuu-chan, you are a very all-rounded player, and your skills are great and all, but when your own move is used against you, you need to find out your own weakness and attack that." Yagyuu sometimes thought the blind girl was something else, giving wise advice like that.

Kirihara... well, he sort of snapped mid-match. It seemed that seeing himself in Devil mode was too much to swallow. He just stood there like a block of ice. Sanada had to cart him off the courts with a trolly. More training on mentality was in for him, it seems...

When Sanada's match came, all eyes turned to them. It wasn't a match that could be missed. Niou versus Sanada... All the scouts went into an insane sort of frenzy, snapping photos at a ridiculous speed, screaming at the top of their lungs against security guards who tried to drag them out of the school. They might as well burst into a fountain of nosebleed.

"Well, well, ThunderHorse-kun," Niou taunted, using the nickname Sanada despised most, "this will be interesting, very interesting indeed. What would you do, if you lost to me? Just so you know, my illusion is flawless."

Sanada scowled. "TARUNDORU! If you look down on your opponents, you will be caught off guard!"

"Oh? Are you going yell 'Yudan Sezu Ni Ikou'? Like _Tezuka?"_ Niou smirked as he prepared to serve. When he looked into Sanada's eyes, Sanada saw his doppelganger on the opposite side of the courts.

'Sanada' served. The showdown began. The two Sanadas rallied furiously, both sides unwilling to back down, like the Sanadas they were. After a good fifteen minutes, both Sanadas panted heavily, from running all across the courts, and still running. Both Sanadas had their cap fallen off, their legs swollen from the non-stop running.

_It's time to end this. Rai!_ Niou's eyes danced.

Sanada looked up in surprise and found a gleam in Niou eyes that he knew too well. The fake Sanada raised the racket high, and struck. The electricity of the ball exploded in a super speed. Sanada gritted his teeth. Just then, he noticed the coach standing on the spectators' stand, making a face.

_There is always a flaw in a ball. Any shot. When you find yourself against a near-impossible-to-return ball, you cannot rely on your strength alone. Look through the ball, find its weakness, and drive it home. Do not let your own sight deceive you._

Sanada narrowed his eyes. Through the haze of lightening, there was a small stumble the ball made every spin it turned. A small glitch, probably due to the electricity running all around it. It was so small, he normally wouldn't have noticed. No one would have.

If he could catch that at the right moment, the moment where the ball's power was at it weakest, there was a slight chance he could return it. But he knew enough that that wasn't enough. What else? There was only seconds until the ball reached him. Even if he managed to catch the ball, the strings on his racket would definitely break. He'd seen his opponents try too many times. His strings would break...

_Think out of the square. That's what tennis is all about. Let your creativity fly._

His strings would break... but the handle of his racket wouldn't. Flipping his racket over, he caught the handle, and hit the ball with the stump of it.

On the opposite court, Niou froze. Sanada's face had fallen away, leaving the smirk-less face of Niou Masaharu behind.

Yukiko whistled and whooped. "That's what I'm looking for! Find the flaw! Good job, ThunderHorse!"

Beside her, Kirihara was scratching his head incomprehensibly. "How the hell did that blind girl know how fuku-buchou... Never mind." Upon meeting Yukiko, Kirihara had wisely learnt that there were a lot of things that he could never understand.

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><p><strong>Author's note: Whoa, looking back, this chapter totally sucked. Anyway, I'll start more on Yukiko's past next chapter, and her skills are yet to be revealed, so it her mysterious identity and mission... Thanks to all my fellow reviewers! You've all given me incredible support, and I just want to tell you that it really, really helped! So cheers!<strong>


	7. On Your Mark (Part 1)

**Author's note: Har, har. It's been decades, really, since I updated. And if you hadn't already seen it, you could go check out my profile, where I have posted Mifune Yukiko's personal profile. It contains major spoilers of the later chapters though, so don't read if you don't want to be spoiled. By the way, people who have read the New Prince of Tennis, any guesses on who Yukiko is related to?**

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><p>Kirihara Akaya was dismissed from his job as Mifune Yukiko's mighty chaperone.<p>

To be honest, it was to be expected, really. His grades were bad enough already, and taking care of a blind girl 24/7 at school was really taking a toll on his grades. Besides, a guy really wasn't very suited for the job when it came to... toilet issues.

Hence, the principal and the teachers convened a short meeting and decided a new chaperone for the blind girl.

Ichinose Sen, an honors student who attained straight-As as easy as breathing, was the lucky one. The girl played sports as well -track, in fact- so the school board probably figured Yukiko and Sen were born for each other.

Biggest problem was, Ichinose Sen was simply the _definition_ of 'passivity'.

She never did anything more than required to, never talked unless spoken to, never doing anything that would produce an adrenaline rush. Always with a pair of earphones shoved into her ears, canceling out the rest of her world. One would describe her as a typical 'shut-in'.

Yukiko tried to make conversation with her new chaperone, but they all went something like this:

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><p>FIRST ATTEMPT AT CONVERSATION<p>

Yukiko: So, hey. You're Ichinose Sen, right?

Sen: **nods, and stares into infinite space** (not that Yukiko notices)

Yukiko: Uh... you...run for the track team?

Sen: **nods, and stares into infinite space**

Yukiko: So that's a yes...?

Sen: **nods, and stares into infinite space**

* * *

><p>SECOND ATTEMPT AT CONVERSATION<p>

Yukiko: Uh, this English homework, is... like, so difficult! Could you -uh- like, teach me?

Sen: **nods, and stares into infinite space**

Yukiko: So, uh, you gonna help me?

Sen: **nods, and stares into infinite space**

Yukiko: Right, forget I said anything.

Sen: **nods, and stares into infinite space**

* * *

><p>THIRD ATTEMPT AT CONVERSATION<p>

Yukiko: Hey! You going for track team practice?

Sen: **nods, and stares into infinite space**

Yukiko: You're not even taking me seriously, are you?

Sen: **nods, and stares into infinite space**

Yukiko: If I were someone else sane, I'd have strangled you fifty times.

Sen: **nods, and stares into infinite space**

* * *

><p>FOURTH AND FINAL ATTEMPT AT CONVERSATION<p>

Yukiko: Right, uh, this is my seeing eye dog, Google.

Sen: **nods, and stares into infinite space**

Yukiko: Are you mute or something? Are you incapable of human speech?

Sen: **nods, and stares into infinite space**

Yukiko: You know what? I'll just stop talking.

Sen: **nods, and stares into infinite space**

* * *

><p>The second day was even worse. Yukiko had not thought it was able for a person to avoid speaking for one whole day at school, but she decided just now that Ichinose Sen would be an exception to that rule.<p>

Sen had managed to worm her way out of every situation where she would be required to speak. When the Math teacher had asked her a question, she'd made simple gestures that effectively answered the question and shut the teacher up. (Though Yukiko had absolutely no idea what sort of genius gesture that managed to answer the value of pi.)

Yukiko had also done thorough research on her chaperone, achieved through collecting different data from her classmates, and teammates.

And her results:

"Ichinose? Isn't she the mute girl?"

"Oh, Ichinose? There's a rumor that if she looks you in the eye and gives you a straight answer to a question, you'll be damned for the rest of your life. Don't worry, that's not gonna happen in this lifetime."

"Omigosh, Ichinose-senpai is super! I mean, have you seen her run?!"

"Ichinose is really talented, man. What I'd give to cut those beautiful legs off and paste them on my own..."

"Ichinose?" She's in our class?"

* * *

><p>"She's impossible!" Yukiko complained at tennis practice, while rallying a ball with the Yukimura Seiichi, the only person without a training partner for this practice. Kirihara had been sentenced to detention after school, leaving the regulars in odd numbers.<p>

Yukimura gave a light chuckle. "Ichinose-san? Your new chaperone?"

"Yes! You know her? Please don't tell me she's actually mute." Yukiko groaned as she hit the ball half-heartedly, accidentally sending the ball into a lob. "Whoops!"

Yukimura jogged backwards lightly and returned the ball. "Well, I did hear she was the fastest runner in Kanagawa."

Yukiko sighed, flinging her racket in a random direction, yet successfully smashing the ball. The ball went at an amazing speed. "I don't care if she's fastest or slowest. I don't even care if she sucks at sports! I just want someone who is capable of _talking_." The ball rolled past Yukimura's feet. Yukimura raised an eyebrow at the ball before turning back to the blind girl.

"Give her a chance. Get to know her. Sometimes, people aren't like what they seem at first glance. Like you said, don't let what you see deceive you." Yukimura smiled before walking towards the opposite courts to help the girl.

Yukiko grumbled before accepting Yukimura's help. "You're smiling at me, aren't you? I'd rip that smile of yours off if I could see it..."

* * *

><p><em>Rip the smile off me, huh.<em> Seiichi flopped down on his bed. _I became sidetracked during the rally practice. Perhaps I should have gone for a smash when she accidentally hit the lob? No... She was standing on the baseline. Maybe a volley. At any rate, that last ball, that speed... It was incredible to be able to execute such a high-speed ball at that position._

Seiichi got off his bed and grabbed racket. "If I remember correctly, her wrists were placed like this..." He murmured as he tried to imitate the move. "But then, her wrists have to be flexible and strong enough."

_Come to think of it, her wrists are quite skinny. _He'd noticed that when he'd held her hand to escort her to the courts. Her braided strands of hair, it must take a long time to braid them up each morning. Her fingers must be really slender and deft to do that every morning... Wait, slender doesn't have anything to do with that...

The way she moves around on the courts, agile yet graceful, quick yet elegant. It was like watching a swan, except that a swan did not have such a beautiful expression. Except that a swan did not have misty white eyes that could see through your heart. Except that a swan did not have an earnest expression that could melt your insides.

Except that a swan did not have a confidence burning brighter than a fire.

Except that a swan did not have such beautiful eyes that looked at you every time, despite that they could not see anything beyond darkness.

Except that a swan could not look elegant while playing tennis.

Except that a swan was not _her_.

_Yukimura Seiichi, what is going on with you?_

* * *

><p>"Everyone! May I have your attention, please?" Asada-sensei shouted over the chatter. "As you all know, our annual Sports Da is just around the corner, and each class must submit a team of four people to participate in the 4x100 meter relay! Do we have any nominations for the members?"<p>

Various cries of different names arose from all directions.

"Matsuoka! Go get 'em, buddy!"

"Aoyama! You're the man!"

"Kirihara! Show them who's the devil!"

"Souji! Give them hell!"

Just then, a voice spoke up. "Ichinose Sen." At this, every pair of eyes turned to the voice. The speaker was not in the least abashed, though the subject of the topic narrowed her eyes. "I nominate Ichinose Sen." Yukiko repeated.

Asada-sensei, sensing the tension, tried to intervene. "A-ah, Mifune-san, you're new here, so you must not know that-"

"All I know, is that Ichinose is the fastest runner in the school. I see no reason not to nominate her." Yukiko declared, cutting off whatever Asada-sensei was going to say. Others muttered in agreement. Ichinose ground her teeth.

After a while of voting, results were out.

_Matsuoka Kenta 27 votes_

_Aoyama Jun 29 votes_

_Kirihara Akaya 17 votes_

_Ebina Souji 20 votes_

_Ichinose Sen 35 votes_

_Suzuki Wataru 12 votes_

Each student was allowed to vote for four people. Ichinose had gotten all of the votes.

"And, our representatives are Matsuoka-kun, Aoyama-kun, Ebina-kun and Ichinose-san. Any objections?" Asada-sensei announced, looking around the room for raised hands.

Ichinose stood up. It was the first time she'd spoken in the month, and everyone turned towards her.

"I politely refuse the offer. I am already participating in a lot of events, and I fear that I may not be in the best physical condition to run for our class. In my stead, Kirihara-kun, with the second most votes, will run for our class. Is that alright, Asada-sensei?"

Faced by an icy glare from his student, Asada-sensei could do nothing but nod frantically.

"Bullshit. You're not even participating in anything. I heard from the upperclassmen. You've quit running, haven't you? And it ain't no injury or nothing you claim. It's what happened last year, right?" A boy from the back rows scowled. "You're a coward, and you can't even face your dreams. Fine. We don't need a quitter on our team anyway."

Ichinose's face paled ever so slightly. "Thank you for your concern, Aoyama-kun. I'm glad that you always hold such dear feelings towards me."

Aoyama snorted and shut up.

Yukiko frowned at what she just heard. She was blind, but that didn't mean she did not notice the sparks of fire flying all over the classroom. What had happened last year?

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Okay, this is just part one of the complete chapter. Stay tuned for part two! I honestly hoped you liked this! Jesus, I've been getting ZERO reviews lately. Please do take the time to write comments for me! Constructive criticism or any kind of criticism is extremely appreciated! Please! Thanks guys!<strong>


	8. Get Set (Part 2)

**Author's note: Yo, people! I know I've been slacking off lately, but my updates are gonna be a bit slower from now on 'cause my left hand is currently somewhat handicapped, and it will remain that way for about two months or less. So don't expect this temporarily crippled writer to update real fast, 'cause people with one hand can't type real fast.**

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><p>Ichinose Sen stood by her window, staring out of it. She'd been doing that for the past hour. The sky had turned from light blue to orange and to black. She gazed intently into the dark, dark sky. As she stared, she forced down the mouthful of vomit forcing its way up her throat.<p>

_No... I can't do this!_ She stood up abruptly, her stool flying out under her, hitting the wall, and she threw the curtains shut.

It's been half a year now, will she continue like this for the rest of her life? Will she never be able to connect the broken parts inside her?

* * *

><p>Yukimura had taken up the job of accompanying Yukiko home, as Ichinose was absent today.<p>

When Yukimura held the girl's arm, for some unknown reason, his chest did a gymnastics routine. It was as if someone had let loose a dozen pachinko balls in there.

"You okay?" Yukiko frowned. "You've been really quiet... and smiling really weirdly. You high on sugar, Child of God?"

Trying to hide the pink patch creeping up his face, he changed the subject quickly. "Can I ask you a dumb question?"

"Sure. Fire away." She smiled.

"Why do you always make an effort to face people directly when you speak?"

There was a pause. "Maybe it's because I still cannot bring myself to acknowledge the fact that I am blind." Another pause.

"Can I ask you an insensitive question?"

"Depends on what you're asking." She shrugged. "But, 'course you can."

"Were you born blind?"

"No."

"Then how-"

"Whoops! I think you just crossed the borderline into Territory Sensitive. Sorry, Child of God, I don't like to talk about that stuff. Maybe some time later, when I get to know you better." Yet another pause.

"Okay." Neither of them spoke again.

* * *

><p>Google, apparently, Yukimura discovered, had attention deficit hyperactive disorder. In short, that dog was ADHD. Was it even possible for a seeing eye dog to have ADHD?<p>

"You dog-"

"Oh, never mind him. He's always like that."

"But he's a _seeing eye dog._ He's supposed to be _tame_."

"He is." Google barked indignantly in agreement.

"You call sticking your head into a washing sink and smashing your head into the window every fifteen minutes _tame_?"

"What if I do?"

"Then I'm going to have a long chat with the principal deciding whether you are mentally fit to assume to role of a coach."

"Oh, take it down an octave." Yukiko punched his kidney lightly. "It's just Google. Google's just Google."

Yukimura rolled his eyes. "That's some amazing philosophy there. Google is just Google. Any more profound thoughts like that? An asylum is an asylum? A mental patient is a mental patient?"

Yukiko had invited Yukimura to her apartment for a bound of tea after the awkward silence, and Yukimura had been more than glad to.

Her apartment was on the 100th floor, overseeing the beauty of Kanagawa, only that the owner of the flat could not appreciate the view. The apartment was completely armed, with emergency buttons every few feet, metal bar handles trailing all over the walls. No patch of wall managed to escape safety's wrath. There seemed to be no kitchens in the house though. (Which was a good thing, just in case Yukiko randomly presses some weird button and sends the building into flames.)

Yukiko rubbed the dog's fur affectionately. "He's got guts, and I like that. When they told me to choose a dog, they told me that this guy here had been found in the streets, parentless. But he didn't even so much as whimper when kids threw rocks at him. He stood his ground. He's strong, whether you know it or not."

Yukimura gazed into her eyes intently, taking of the advantage that the girl could not notice this intimate action. He could almost see the sadness and empathy leaking out from there. It was almost as if she could _relate_ to the dog...

"So," Yukimura started, "you live alone here?"

"Yeah. My home is kinda far from Kanagawa, so my grandpa had me live here instead. Don't worry, this is a luxury condo. I just have to ring a bell and servants will come and help me with whatever I need."

The condo had no walls, giving a blind person a safe access to the rest of the flat. But what about-

"No toilets here." Yukiko supplied helpfully. "You have to go down to the clubhouse. Grandpa's afraid I might hit my head on the toilet bowl and pass out or something."

Clubhouse? This was definitely 'luxury'.

"Your family's rich?" Yukimura asked curiously.

"No," she laughed, "Grandpa's near to going bankrupt this month, no, definitely not rich. But my mother's side..." Her sentence trailed off, leaving behind an awkward silence. Something silvery appeared at the corner of her eye. "Well, I think it's about time you left. Look at the time, your parents will be worried." She changed the subject, turning away.

Yukimura wanted to say something, but he took up his bag and went to the door.

He smiled an angelic smile, knowing she could not see it, and said, "The biscuits were very nice. I'll be seeing you tomorrow at Sports Day." Then he stepped out of the flat and shut the door. His unspoken question remained on the tip of his tongue.

_What about _your_ parents?_

* * *

><p>The Sports Day could be described as...extremely one-sided. Every event was dominated by either the track team or the tennis team or both. Reasonable, considering both sports teams were National-level.<p>

Kirihara got the second in the 400m race.

Sanada-fukubuchou came back with three golds for javelin, discus and shot put, huffing 'tarundoru' under his breath.

Jackal practically dominated the long races, winning the cross-country race, 1500m run and the obstacle course.

Marui won third at the high jump, while Niou and Yagyuu were disqualified for tricking the players by impersonating each other, thus receiving a well-earned glare and a slap from their gentle vice-captain.

Yukimura was simply amazing, who knew the yips reaction could be applied on the field? He marveled at the stunning array of medals on his neck as the jaws of the other students hit the ground.

But yips or no yips, Yanagi's long jump competition was by far the most impressive of all. Have you ever seen a person win a competition by muttering crazy calculations and scaring wits out of people? Well, now, you have.

"This may incredibly be the most boring day of my life, and believe me, I've went through a lot of boring days, so that's saying a lot." Yukiko declared, giving a huge yawn. She exempted from all activities, of course. "How do you expect a blind person to enjoy herself at an event where you have to _see_ to receive entertainment? Kill me now." Sen, who was by her side, gave no answer. She hadn't participated in any event or made any detectable movement throughout the day. The speaker on the wall crackled again.

_"Ichinose Sen of class 2-D, will you please proceed to the marshall area for the 200m dash? Thank you."_

Yukiko sighed. She didn't bother to convince Sen to go for the tenth time. Sen seemed to be in agreement with that, and kept to herself. But, if Yukiko could see, she would notice the longing glances Sen gave the track field and the runners on it. Yukiko would notice the twitching hand that unconsciously reaching out for the field, and withdrawing quickly. And she most definitely not miss the agonized look on the silent girl's expression, as if in pain.

After lunch, the finals took place, as well as the relays. Just then, Kirihara came sprinting towards the pair.

"Yukiko! Ichinose!" He panted as he skidded to a halt in front of them.

"Oh, Bakaya? What's up?" Yukiko asked, immediately recognizing the voice.

"We have a really huge problem." Kirihara's quivering voice indicated the urgency, and Sen looked up. "Aoyama and Matsuoka both can't run, and now we're missing two runners for our class's relay team!"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: Hey, so I'm gonna be focusing a bit on Sen for three chapters, because she's gonna play a major role later on (oops, spoiler), and I want to properly introduce her before inserting her into the story. This arc will continue onto Part 3, mind you. BTW, folks, Kanagawa Districts Tournament gonna start right after I finish the Ichinose Sen arc, so keep posted. It's gonna get more exciting once the story advances into the tennis matches. FYI, I'm not gonna be sticking with the original line-ups in the mangaanime, and there will be OC Kanagawa schools appearing, so be prepared.**


	9. Flying Without Wings (Part 3)

**Author's note: Finale of the Ichinose Arc! It's boring, I admit. But give it a try! Read and review!**

**Special thanks to bluheat for giving me tips on writing, you've been an awesome reviewer. Also thanks to all the other people who'd supported my story and reviewed it!**

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><p>Hell broke out. Class 2-D was in complete panic once the news spread out. Apparently, Matsuoka collapsed due to heat stroke, and Aoyama twisted his ankle at the most hideous angle.<p>

"What the heck are we gonna do now?" Ebina groaned. "How in bloody hell are we gonna win with just me and Kirihara?" He tossed a sideways glance at Sen, then ducked his head in face of her glare.

"Is there anyone who can run? Anyone?" Kirihara demanded, clenching his fist. "If we give up this race, we might as well pass up the whole tournament." At Rikkaidai, every year level competed with each other, and there was an official tournament for that. Currently, their class was in the lead, but it won't be for long if they give up the relay.

"Ichinose\, can you please run for us? Please? It's just for a really short time! I'll do anything! This relay... this tournament... means a lot to me!" Aoyama suddenly spoke up. He toppled out of his chair, ignoring the protests of several people, and got down on all fours. Sen's eyes widened at the scene.

She bent down and tried to get the boy to stand up. "Aoyama-kun, don't be like this, you're still injured..."

"No!" Aoyama replied stubbornly, "I won't get up until you agree! Ichinose, please run for the relay, I'm begging you!"

Sen looked as if someone had grabbed hold of each part of her body and was tearing her apart, piece by piece. "I cannot run." She replied stiffly. "I'll never be able to run again." Then, she turned and ran away.

Aoyama slammed his fist into the concrete ground, angrily waving off the people trying to help him up.

Yukiko furrowed her eyebrows. There was definitely something going on.

* * *

><p>Sen curled herself up at the corner of the wall. Every time that topic was brought up, she would have an anxiety attack. The world would look completely distorted, her heart would struggle violently, her brain would hammer against her skull so painfully it was almost unbearable. And that was exactly what she was going through now. She fumbled around for her prescription pills, but found nothing but her cell phone.<p>

Another excruciating throb of pain flashed in her head and she clutched her head in agony, tears spilling out involuntarily at the impossible spasms. She bit down on her lip, clamming shut the screams on the edge of her throat. She pushed her back against the wall, her nails clawing the floor desperately. She'd already thrown up twice, but it didn't make her feel any better, if not, worse.

_It's alright, once this is over, it'll be alright. Deep breaths, close your eyes, it'll be over before you know it._ She could faintly make out a familiar clacking sound, but she was too tired to acknowledge them. She focused solely on clearing her brain, but there was one irritating noise that bothered her.

"...en? ...nose ...en? Ichi... Sen? Where are you?" That voice, Sen would recognize it anywhere.

Using every ounce of breath and energy she had left, she called out weakly, "I-I'm over h-here..." The clacking sounds quickened, and she felt a hard jab on her leg.

"Ichinose! Where the heck were you?" Yukiko demanded. "You can't just take off like that!" The blind, ignorant girl gave a sigh, then carefully lowered herself to sit beside Sen.

Then, something astonishing happened. Yukiko rested her hand on Sen's head, soothing her, and suddenly the agonizing headache was gone. Yukiko stroked her head gently.

"You know, there was a time when I thought I'd never be able to play tennis again." Yukiko started.

"It was on my third birthday. I was diagnosed with retinal cancer. The doctor told me that there was a surgery for it in France, and if I was quick enough, they could save my vision. The cost wasn't cheap. My parents emptied every cent in their accounts for it.

We took the plane to France. I was going make it. Then, terrorists hijacked the plane and crashed it into the sea. I lost everything that day. My parents, my brother, my sight." At this point, she got a little choked up and cleared her throat to steady it.

"They got me to a hospital immediately. They got rid of the cancer. They told me it was a success. What they didn't tell was that there wasn't any color left in the world for me anymore. I was sent back to live with my grandfather. I nearly gave up on tennis, because every time I held a racket, I would be reminded of everything I'd lost. My grandfather didn't give up. He said, 'You think tennis is what triggers the nightmares. You're wrong. It's trying to heal your wounds. To heal, you have to pull apart the place that hurts most and take out the bullet. That's why it's so painful. There'll always be a scar there, but at least the worst part is out.' I took out the bullet. It hurt - a lot. And it'll never stop hurting, but it gets better."

Yukiko buried her head between her knees. "I miss my mom." She said in a tiny voice.

There was a long silence of thought and resolve.

Then, Sen stood up. "I think I'm ready to take out the bullet."

* * *

><p>"On your mark. Get set." <em>Boom!<em> The runners set off. It was a 4x100m relay, but class 2-D only had three runners. Sen would be running 200 meters. It had been a long time since she stood on the tracks and her heart was throbbing painfully. Kirihara, the first runner, had completed his 100 meter and had handed the baton to Ebina. Ebina ran.

Sen took a deep breath. It's okay. You need to face the pain. The baton landed on her hand. And she ran.

She must have forgotten how it felt like to ride the wind as you ran, because this was an incredible sensation. But with every step, horrible memories came washing ashore like a tsunami.

_When she had attracted unwanted attention during her freshman year and became the horrible spotlight of bullying and gossip._

Forget it, she gritted her teeth and clenched her baton harder. Her legs propelled faster. The breeze felt wonderful on her face. Her feet loved how it met the ground.

_When the bullying had escalated to the point where bullying became equivalent to assault._

Pant, pant, one hundred meters complete, one hundred meters to go. Don't think about anything.

_When flowerpots came smashing at her and cars started to find her as a common target for crashing exercises._

_ And when... the horrible moment of her her life came, when her ankle got caught in a mousetrap with sharp jagged blades, and the blade had sunk its teeth into her flesh and bones, how it hurt so much..._

Sen gasped uncontrollably. Another anxiety attack came about, and the spasms started. It hurt, so much. And it hurt even more now. She tripped but managed to keep her balance. But suddenly the distorted world cleared up.

_But it's alright now, because you've healed - physically and mentally, whether you know it or not Now you have to take the final step. That gold trophy is the all the assurance you need._

And she did.

* * *

><p>Yukiko clapped her hands twice. "Listen up, folks! The Districts Tournament is coming up! Starting from next week, we will be facing schools in Kanagawa. I've trained you boys well, and if you dare drop a single game, I will personally attend to your funeral, get it?" Various gulps and nervous fidgeting could be observed. No one was dumb enough to make the mistake of underestimating their slave-driving coach's capacity to murder.<p>

"We'll only be facing two schools since we're a first seed, and our first opponent is Joshibi Gakuen. They've got strong doubles, but I expect you slaughter them any way. I'll announce the line-ups, which, by the way, won't change throughout the tournament. Too much of a hassle." Yukiko cleared her throat.

"Ahem. Doubles two, Renji and Akaya. Bakaya, listen to Robot-chan and change your underwear. Pfft.

Doubles one, Thunderhorse and Yagyuu-kun. Thunderhorse, please don't yell too loud and deafen poor Yagyuu-kun.

Singles three, our one and only buchou Child of God. Don't let us down, God.

Singles two and one are Bunta-chan and Haruharu, just in case anything goes wrong. Sorry, Jackie, you'll have to sit this one out." Yukiko rolled up her piece of paper. "That's all."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: That's all for now! Stay posted for the Districts! The Districts are gonna be a bit short, one chapter only, and next up is the Kanto Tournament! Cheers and review!<strong>


	10. Because We Are Emperors

**Author's note: Wow, I can't believe how fast I'm updating. Don't get used to it, folks. But, I'm having a holiday, so you can hog onto the feeling for a little more while. Hope you enjoy the Districts! And to any possible Chinese people reading this, Happy New Lunar Year! (Yeah, we have a weird calendar)**

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><p>Around seven in the morning, Yukiko was striking a pose similar to that of a teapot, one hand on hips and one tapping on her cheek. Anyone who had a single ounce of brain cell kept a ten mile radius from the blind girl who gave off an aura more murderous than any Sanadas could muster.<p>

All because of a late seaweed idiot who had a death wish.

Jackal groaned, "Akaya's gonna die. And no one's gonna play doubles two."

Yukimura and Yanagi sighed and looked at their registration form. "At this rate, we might have to forfeit." Yanagi said worriedly.

Sanada cracked his knuckles. His mood wasn't much better than Yukiko's. "What did Akaya say on the phone?" He growled.

Marui gulped. "Err, something about saving a princess from the dragon's hide?" Just then, the guy who had a death wish appeared. "Sorry I'm late!" Kirihara bounded into sight, apparently more cheerful than guy scheduled for execution should be.

Before the boy could escape to his safe haven behind Yukimura, a leg tripped him.

"You think you could be late and get off easy, ah?" Yukiko smiled a weird smile. "Tell me, was the princess very heavy?"

The next five minutes was too gruesome to be put into words. In simple conclusion, when Yukiko was finally done with him, Kirihara resembled something like a platypus and panda hybrid, with a squashed nose and tons of bruises.

Yukiko glowered. "Repeat after me. I, Kirihara Akaya,"

Kirihara sniffed pitifully. "I-I, Kirihara Akaya."

"-solemnly swear-"

"-solemnly swear-"

"-that I will never be late again-"

"-that I will never be late again-"

"-and that I will never tell far-fetched lies."

"-and that I will never tell far-fetched lies."

"Say you're an insufferable jerk."

"Say you're an- Ow! Okay, okay! I'm an insufferable jerk."

Yukiko crossed her arms, finally satisfied. "I'm going to wash my hands." Then she turned and swiped left and right with her cane.

* * *

><p>Yukiko had just come out of the washroom when her cane promptly met the leg of a passerby.<p>

"Ouch! Watch where you're going, lady!" It was a guy she'd hit.

"Whoops! Sorry, didn't mean to. Or did you notice I can't exactly see?" Yukiko was already in a bad mood, and this guy over here wasn't helping.

"Listen, blind girl," The guy growled, "I'm the legendary One-Shot Hitman of Joshibi, and you don't want to mess with me. Now scram!"

"Yeah, right, and I'm the Queen of England. You and your oversized ego can take a break, loser." Yukiko snapped back mercilessly.

"What'd you say, girl? You want a taste of my Fireball then? You want a match? I'm the One-shot Hitman, and if I lose to the likes of you, a blind girl, then I'll even get my team to forfeit our match against Rikkaidai." The guy snarled.

At that historical moment, the fragile string of patience finally reached its limit and snapped. Yukiko stomped her cane on the ground. "And if I lose to the likes of such pigs, I'll get my team to forfeit the whole tournament."

* * *

><p>"Jesus Christ, I can't believe you, Yasuo-fukubuchou. The captain will flip if he hears of this." A boy, crossing his arms, sighed as Yasuo stretched a few limbs.<p>

"Relax, Iku. What Mihama-buchou doesn't know won't kill him. It's just one blind girl. How bad can things get?" Yasuo smirked and stepped onto the court.

"You can serve first, you pig-istic pig." Yukiko smiled eeriely, her white summer dress not exactly matching her expression.

"You can shut up after having tasted my Fireball." Yasuo growled and tossed the ball upwards. "FIREBALL...ATTACK!"

It was at that split second when Yasuo's mind went another way, thinking: _Oh Christ, I just might lose this game. _Because it was at that moment when Yukiko sprang into action. There was a flash if green and white. An arm drew back to hit the ball. The ball rolled past Yasuo's feet.

"Wow, that Fireball felt _cold_. Well, I suppose that's about as much as a pig can handle, Pig." Yukiko smirked.

_That's impossible... My Fireball has been defeated? Just like that?_ Yasuo stared at the round ball in his hand. _No, it must have been a fluke... I'll teach that girl a lesson!_

"FIREBALL...ATTACK!" Yasuo fired the shot again. In the same, easy way she had, she returned the ball with no effort at all.

"No observable speed, power or spin at all. I didn't think it was possible for a Fireball like that to exist. You sure have created an admirable feat, Your Royal Pig-ness. Consider me awed." Yukiko grinned.

After a few more breezy Fireballs, the game went to Yukiko.

"Your Royal Pig-ness, please allow me to demonstrate a shot of what the Fireball should look like." Yukiko curtsied irritatingly.

Tossing the ball higher up than normal, she bent her legs to a half-crouch, and arched her back, drawing her racket back to hit the ball. In less than one-tenth of a second, there was a loud crash in Yasuo's court. Turning slowly, Yasuo did not dare see where the ball went. As if it had always been there, the ball laid quietly unmoving at the edge of the court. There was a black burnt mark inside the court lines that had not been there before.

Yukiko got out of her stance and curtsied again. "I present you the Light Speed serve. It's the fastest serve in tennis history, with a speed of 341km/h, faster than even sound itself, Your Royal Pig-ness. You can't see it with the naked eye. nor can you hear it before it lands, 'cause its faster than the speed of sound. Simply put, it's impossible to return."

Just then, Iku, Yasuo's friend on the spectator's stand, suddenly grasped the metal railing. With a trembling finger, he pointed at Yukiko. "Could it be... that blind girl is the rumored blind sophomore coach of the Rikkaidai?" Yukiko made a V-sign. Yasuo blanched, but he had no idea what, no, _who _exactly he'd gotten himself into.

* * *

><p>By the end of the match, a lot of people had gathered around the court to watch the match.<p>

Another Light Speed Serve crashed into Yasuo's court. Yasuo fell to the ground, sweating streaming down his face like he'd just taken a shower.

"Game and match, Yukiko, 6-0!" Yukiko sang. "Am I or am I not the embodiment of genius? Now, do stick to your promise and forfeit your match, Your Royal Pig-ness!"

Yasuo growled under his breath. Just then, a man pushed past the crowd and grabbed Yasuo by the collar. "Yasuo! What. Have. You. Done? You made such a bet knowing the consequences? Do you know what had happened when you were here playing your game?"

Apparently, the match between Rikkaidai and Joshibi had started. Joshibi had lost both doubles and had been counting on Singles 3 to make a comeback. Too bad the Singles 3 player had made a stupid deal with a blind girl.

There weren't a lot of schools in Kanagawa, and for Rikkaidai, the next round would be the finals. When the team gathered for a pre-match meeting, Yukiko just yawned and said, "Same line-ups, people. Just win the match already and we can go for some celebratory pizza." The regulars just shook their heads at their coach's careless attitude.

Kirihara and Yanagi totally thrashed their opponents, both physically and mentally. I mean, who wouldn't be scared when your facing opponents who can predict your every action and turn into your worst nightmare?

Sanada and Yagyuu did pretty good as well, though in Yagyuu's opinion, Sanada hogged the ball a _bit_ too much and was a bit disappointed not to have played much.

Yukimura was legend on the court. He seemed quite cheered to be able to play in a match. Normally, like last year, they put other regulars in the three matches to observe and jot down data. And since most of their games finish in three straight wins, the Big Three, in the last two singles as a trump card, they don't always get to play. This year, the Big Three had become visibly happier during tournaments, to be able to play. Less scolding, more smiling (or not, in Sanada's case), it increased the team's morale too. Yanagi stroked his invisible beard thoughtfully and muttered, "Ii data..." The games, of course, were all won by 6-0.

The only people upset were the members of Joshibi. And everyone who lost their butts off to Rikkaidai.

The moral of today's story: Do not be a pig and piss off blind people.

**Author's note: Heads up: upcoming chapters will be more about school life before we step into the Kanto Tournament. I'm gonna release a bit more about Yukiko's past and stuff, so keep posted! Read and review, people! I haven't got great ideas about the school life thingy, and I might not start writing until I see a _suitable amount _of motivation *wink, wink* So people who've bothered to follow me and read this but haven't reviewed... Cheers!**


	11. Mission 101: Stalking

**Author's note: People who reviewed were so sweet, I just couldn't help but type faster! This chapter is longer than normal, and reveals more about Yukiko. I know, it's not exactly the school life I promised, but that will come along one or two more chapters, I'll begin the Kanto Tournament. It'll be way longer than the Districts have been. So stay posted! BTW, guys...do you think Yukiko is too perfect? Give me your honest opinion. I swear, I didn't mean for her to come out like this! If you really do think so, I'll try to whip her back into shape**. **Alright, read, enjoy and review, please.**

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><p>Yukiko was sitting on the park bench while Google pranced around the park, having the time of his life. Midnight was his favorite time. He was a bit of a loner, so it did perfectly alright for him to be alone, exploring the park like a curious adventurer.<p>

She, like Google, was also perfectly fine with being by herself. After all, it meant less people gawking at her and whispering behind her back. She was never afraid of the dark anyway. Just then, her cellphone rang.

She flipped open her phone. "Hello? Who's this?"

_"Spending too much time with hot guys? Have you already forgotten my sexy, sexy voice?"_

"Oh, Shuu, how could I forget about you? You literally engraved yourself on me."

_"Hey, I didn't mean to scratch you! My nails were just in that position! Now will you drop that already? That's ancient history!" _Shuu protested.

"So, what's the deal? It's midnight, by the way. You could've caught me sleeping. What's up?" Yukiko gave a huge and loud yawn, just for the effect.

_"Today's Friday. You always take Google out on Friday nights. I would've never caught you sleeping." _Shuu pointed out.

"Are you gonna say what you called to say already? You've begun to bore me with your obnoxious voice."

_"I think my sexy, sexy voice called to inform you that the owner of this sexy voice will be arriving at Kanagawa tomorrow, and that he would like to invite you on a sexy date."_

"Is it your holiday again, Shuu? Your school is nice, you get all these privileges. Me? I've been stuck with its tennis team. Well, it's not bad, but I didn't want to get involved in competitive tennis again."

_"There's no help for that. By the way, I heard that Rikkaidai's tennis team has extremely good-looking members. Too bad it's wasted on someone like you, who sadly cannot appreciate their physical hotness, just as you cannot appreciate mine."_

"Your physical hotness just makes me really hot. Hot as in so-hot-I-need-to-release-it-by-punching-you hot."

_"Back to the main focus, you want to visit _them_ with me? C'mon, you know you want to. You haven't seen them in ages, especially him. They're all in Kanagawa, right?"_

Yukiko grew hesitant. "I don't know, Shuu. I don't want to see _him_ and remember that nothing has changed at all." Google had returned from his endeavor and must have sensed her uneasiness, because he set his chin on her lap. Yukiko patted him.

_"Well, if you don't go see him, you won't know if it's better or not. You want to know, right? They say he's been doing well since last time. You know you want to see him. So go see him. He'll like that. He'll be happy that you decided to visit. It's been months since you last saw him."_

"Yeah, well, I'll think about it. We can always go for coffee if it doesn't work out, right? I know an awesome parfait shop one of my upperclassmen introduced."

_"Yuki-chan. Think about it. I seriously don't need another shopping spree in Akihabara just because your visit with him didn't work out. He needs you. And you need him. You two are inter-dependent. Just give it a try, Yuki-chan. He'll feel better knowing that you care."_

"Of course I care!" A sigh. "Fine. I'll try."

_"Great! I'll see you tomorrow. Tomorrow's Saturday, so we have all day! Bye-bye, Yukiko!" _The line clicked and went dead.

Oh, Lord. What had she done again?

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><p>Her doorbell had already rang ten times, but it really couldn't be helped, because Yukiko was still struggling to get her clothes on. Google, being the clever yet annoying guide dog, did his job and opened the door. A tall guy with with a wide smirk stood there. His white hair stood out obviously against his chocolate colored skin.<p>

"Oh, don't bother hiding anything. It's not like I haven't seen them before." Shuu said in a bored tone, earning a menacing, blind glare that couldn't pierce his ego.

"Shut up and turn around! Face the door, and don't you _dare_ look." Shuu chuckled but complied to her wishes.

When Yukiko was fully clothed, the two went down. There was already a black car waiting for them, courtesy of the condo's manager. They got in, and it sped off.

Yukiko started fidgeting halfway. Shuu smirked. "What? I didn't know you could get cold feet." Yukiko kicked him.

"You think we should bring flowers? He likes hydrangeas. Or maybe we should get _them_ fruit? Though I doubt they'd be the one to eat them. Perhaps some new clothes. _He_ seem to be wearing the same piece of filthy rag every time..."

Shuu interrupted. "We can get those later. We're on a schedule."

"Then we'll stop by the florist. We need flowers one way or another. Driver-san, stop the car at the next corner. We're getting off."

Much to his dismay, the driver actually stopped. Yukiko jumped off the car, grabbed her cane, and dashed off into the crowd. Shuu trudged behind her unwillingly, shoving a pair of dark shades on warily as they weaved through the crowd.

"This is a really big shop," Shuu complained.

"Shut up and go ask the florist for hydrangeas." And with that, Yukiko pushed the whited-haired boy away, only to bump into someone else.

"Oops, sorry..." She frowned. She recognized this smell. "Mint-chan! Is it you? Oh, and I can hear Robot-chan's mumbling a few feet away."

"Oh, Yukiko-chan? Why are you here?" Marui asked.

"Buying flowers, duh. Is it just you and Robot-chan?"

"No, Mura-buchou is upstairs looking at some rarer species. Sanada-fukubuchou is more interested in the tropical plants and is at the next store. Jackal's paying."

Just then, Shuu reappeared from nowhere, sneezing like crazy. "Oi, Yukiko, I got you your stupid hydrangeas. My allergies are killing me, can we leave now please? You know how I hate pollen-" He caught sight of Marui and Yanagi, and sneezed again. "Oh. You know them?"

"I coach them. So, I'll see you guys on Monday." Yukiko waved at them and left with Shuu. Yukimura came down just as the two left.

"Look at this, Renji, they've got poisoned ivy here! Renji? Marui?" Yanagi twisted so fast it wasn't humanly possibly, and his eyes were shining so enthusiastically that made you want to shrink away.

"Ninety percent that it is a date. Seiichi, come with me. We have to confirm the remaining ten percent. This will be good data." Yanagi insisted as he dragged Yukimura and his poisoned ivy after Shuu and Yukiko.

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><p>Shuu and Yukiko arrived at a tall white building. The sign said <em>Kanagawa Hospital for the Sick and Injured.<em> Yukiko had been frowning since they left the florist's and kept stopping at intervals.

"What's wrong with you?" Shuu finally cracked. "Is there something with the stupid flowers?"

"No, you insensible nut. You mean you can't hear that?" Yukiko demanded.

"Well, sorry, I don't. Not everyone has your amazing sense of creativity of imagining non-existent sounds in your mind."

Yukiko chose to ignore that comment. "It's there. Something's _there,_ and I know _it_ knows I know. It's kinda like a murmur, but I'm not sure. It's always behind, almost as if it's not there. But I _know it in my gut_."

Shuu rolled his eyes and dragged her into the building, muttering something like 'blind people and their stupid instincts, wasting broad daylight.'

Two shadows behind a tree relaxed. One of them put a hand over his heart.

"That was probably the nearest I could ever come to a heart attack. Renji, are you not afraid _at all_?" Yukimura wiped a handful of cold sweat from his brow.

The other boy, of course, scribbling at a ridiculous speed, did not listen. "No venture, no gain, Seiichi. This data will be immensely useful."

"Renji, you are aware that if we get caught, we will not have a chance to use that data, yes?"

"As I said, no venture, no gain. Do not worry, I have a strategy in case we get caught." Yanagi finally closed his notebook. "By the way, Seiichi, please put down the potted plant. I am sure hospitals do not allow poisoned ivy in their premises." Yukimura put his plant down dejectedly. This was going to be a long day.

To Yukimura's surprise, they actually made it quite far. Yanagi had bluffed his way through nurses and doctors skillfully, and the two ended up in front of a private hospital room, with golden italics on the label: _Oshitari Sho_

"Oshitari... Isn't he one of Hyotei's players?" Yukimura scratched his chin.

"That would be Oshitari Yuushi. But, this Oshitari Sho, he seems to be someone of relation to Oshitari Yuushi." Yanagi mused.

"Eh? Why? There could be plenty of other people called Oshitari. Perhaps this is a fateful coincidence." Yukimura asked, confused.

"Seiichi, this is level nine, the VIP level. This patient must be of somewhat importance to be able to have a room here. And look at the door. Do you see any other rooms with golden labels? This must be a premium VIP private room. Only the most important people may use this room... and it just so happens that the Oshitari Corporations is the founder and current owner of the Kanagawa Institute." Yanagi flipped expertly through his notebook as he replied.

Just then, something made them jump out if their skins. "Um... People without a pass cannot be on this level." A nurse had discovered them and was eyeing them with suspicion.

"We are waiting for our friends to be done with their visit. It seemed to be private, so we told them we'd wait out here." Yanagi lied smoothly.

"Perhaps you could wait downstairs? This is a restricted area." The nurse tried again. At this moment, Yukiura pushed Yanagi aside gently, and flashed a golden smile. Pheromones poured out like a fountain. The nurse swooned.

"My dear... Akemi-san," Yukimura spied the small tag on the nurse's shirt. "Our friends are in the room, and they are greatly distressed by their...acquaintance's condition. I'm afraid they may require moral support when they exit the room. Would you deny such poor people their pillars of support?" He smiled winningly again, and this time the nurse nearly fainted. Her face could compare to that of an apple, and she didn't seem focused on the main topic at all.

"Oh, whatever you wish, my handsome prince... No... don't look at me, my makeup is all smeared... I'm not worthy of your favor, I'm too ugly..." Then, the nurse clutched her face and ran off screaming, "I MET AN ANGEL!"

Yanagi raised an eyebrow. "Impressive."

Yukimura smiled, locking up his fountain of pheromones. "Not as good as you."

After the scene with the nurse, Yanagi produced a bag from nowhere and dug out all sorts of weird items, like, mini cameras, recording devices and spy technology. He produced a weird looking cube triumphantly.

"My greatest achievement, the RenjiCube. This combines a listening device and a recording device, perfect for situations like this." Yanagi pressed a button, and connected a few wires, and flipped another switch. Then he pressed it against the the door and smiled.

"Perfect. It works. Seiichi, do you think you can do the shiny thing again? In case anyone comes?" He asked.

"I can do it a few more times, but it consumes a lot of energy." Yukimura said, as if he were talking about a tennis move. "I think it works on males as well."

"We should leave that as our last resort then. I'll stand guard, and you can listen. Remember to jot down notes." Yanagi thrust him the headphones and the RenjiCube.

The RenjiCube worked okay, but the people talked so softly it was impossible to distinguish the voices. Seiichi could only listen to their conversation to put a name to different voices.

_"I'll put the hydrangeas by your bed, Sho. I know you like them."_

_ "Thanks, Yuki-chan." _If this was Sho, then the one who'd just spoken must be Yukiko.

_ "You see, I've been forced to babysit some extra-large babies lately. They're cute, but I didn't want to be involved in competitive tennis again. You know, after what happened with you, I don't think I'll ever play tennis seriously again." _

_ "Yuki-chan-"_

_ "I met a really nice girl. I think, in a sense, she's kind of like me. Except that she's a thousand times stronger. I tell people I've faced my past, I lie. Sometimes there're things you can never put behind, things that won't be healed, things that will never ever truly go away, forever like a ghost of a nightmare, standing at the edge of the cliff."_

There was a silence. Yukimura tapped the headphones to make sure they were still working.

_ "Shuu, I'm done. You can talk to Sho now." _Was it just the speakers, or did Yukiko sound a bit sad?

_ "Hey bro, things are doing pretty well with me. I think it's the similar situation with me. I find myself playing tennis in a sort of detached way. Yeah, I still enjoy it, but I can't bring myself to take it seriously. Not after you." _This was Shuu, he supposed?

_ "Shuu, I'm sorry..." _He guessed this must be Sho who replied, but he honestly couldn't be sure, with the not-so-good reception.

_ "It's not anyone's fault. I've already rejected five offers to go pro. I still go to camp every holiday, but I don't go to those overseas tour with the others. Camp is...nice. It's funny watching different newbies die a little every day. It reminds me of how we were back then, eh, Sho?"_

_ "Oh, shut up." _There was a short laughter and a small pause.

_ "Yuki-chan, your turn again." _This was must be Sho again, addressing Yukiko with the same 'Yuki-chan' endearment. If Seiichi called Yukiko 'Yuki-chan', she'd probably bite his ten fingers off.

_ "Well, Grandpa's doing fine. A little too fine. He gives me a five-hour lecture every time I call to check up with him. That old man's got a set of amazing lungs, I tell you. He was the one who signed me up for Rikkaidai, without my consent, mind you. He's got a will harder than steel and iron. I miss him, sometimes. But you know where he lives. It's not easy for me to go visit him whenever I want." A smug tone slipped into the voice. "But Shuu adores him, don't you, Shuu?"_

_ "I DO NOT ADORE THAT MURDERER. HE'S A BASTARD-" _Seiichi winced at the sudden escalation of voices.

_ "Just give it a rest, Shuu. You love him, and you can't deny it." _He'd recognize that cheeky tone anywhere.

_ "I DO NOT-"_

_ "Why don't you shut up and let the genius talk? Sho, ignore this retard please."_

_ "Yuki-chan, that's cruel."_

_ "I don't have a choice, do I?" _

Just then, Yukimura felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning, surprised, he found himself facing Yanagi with a grim look on his face. Standing in front of them were an army of doctors and nurses, staring at them with the most peculiar look on their faces.


End file.
